March 15, 2017

Farro with fennel. I got brave and tried two previously untasted ingredients together...and I liked them both!

Yes, I'm in my 30s and have never eaten farro or fennel. I have no excuse for avoiding farro, but I will say that I knew fennel had the taste and aroma of licorice, which is something that I've never liked, so at least I had a somewhat legitimate reason for not tasting it until now. Now that I've actually tried them, I really enjoyed both, especially together!

I sauteed the fennel quite a bit with a touch of sugar, and as its texture softened, so did its licorice-y flavor. It became subtle and downright pleasant! Plus, as it turns out, farro is nothing like white rice but is instead wonderfully nutty and chewy and healthful, and I regret that I haven't been eating it all of my life!

The combination of soft and somewhat piquant fennel and that wholesome, earthy flavor of the farro is brought to perfection with a tiny bit of dill and a generous handful of toasted almonds. You've got crunch, you've got chew, you've got umami, and you've got a tiny bit of sweet. It's a side dish for the ages, colorless and drab though it may appear!

Directions:
Bring a quart of salted water to boil in a large pot.
Once boiling, add the farro and cook uncovered for 16-18 minutes, until toothsome but soft.
While the farro is cooking, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add a swirl of oil.
Chop any stems off of the fennel and cut out the core; chop the remaining fennel into pieces about 1/4-inch big.
Saute the fennel and sugar for 8-10 minutes, until soft, slightly translucent, and fragrant.
Season the fennel with dill, salt, and pepper, to taste.
Simply combine the fennel, farro, and almonds and stir, then serve!

*Pay attention to the type of farro you're using! Pearled farro will take less time to cook than semi-pearled farro, which will take less time to cook than whole.

9
comments:

This sounds good, Grace! I've never had farro but will try it now. And I don't care for licorice but love the taste of fennel in a lot of dishes. Not sure I could win Bill over with this though so will have to make it for myself!

I've never even heard of farro. I've also never tried fennel, although fennel seeds are great in spaghetti sauce - they make it taste reminiscent of sausage, without the actual sausage in the sauce! Way to go, trying 2 new things at once!

Well, Grace this sounds like an interesting dish. I've never tried farro or fennel either, but now I have a good recipe to dive in with both ingredients. I'm glad it worked out and it really does look healthy!